Holiday dinner in great need of volunteers

Saturday

Nov 17, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 19, 2012 at 9:28 AM

To some, volunteering means time spent serving the community. For Ron Miller, longtime volunteer for the Community Thanksgiving Dinner, it means time spent with family.The Community Thanksgiving Dinner will have its annual free Thanksgiving dinner at the Community Building at 122 E. Marlin on Thanksgiving Day. Miller said the size of the dinner has doubled from when he started. The dinner for this year still needs 100 additional volunteers for setup and serving.

By Joseph TuszynskiStaff Writer

To some, volunteering means time spent serving the community. For Ron Miller, longtime volunteer for the Community Thanksgiving Dinner, it means time spent with family.
The Community Thanksgiving Dinner will have its annual free Thanksgiving dinner at the Community Building at 122 E. Marlin on Thanksgiving Day. Miller said the size of the dinner has doubled from when he started. The dinner for this year still needs 100 additional volunteers for setup and serving.
Miller first volunteered in 2000, right after he lost his first wife to cancer.
“Thanksgiving is all about family, and losing your spouse is losing a big part of your family,” Miller said.
Miller volunteered shortly afterward, and did everything from setup to meal delivery.
“I had to drive 175 pounds of turkey from across town to the Senior Center,” Miller said.
Miller has volunteered every year since then, and has mostly served as a greeter for the dinner. Miller describes the dinner as an opportunity to meet new friends and family.
“Lots of families come and meet other people, and share time together. And really, that’s what Thanksgiving is all about,” Miller said.
If you would like to volunteer, call 620-245-0313. If you would like to make a reservation for the dinner or have a meal catered or delivered, call 620-241-1292.
The Community Thanksgiving Dinner also needs about 50 pies donated. Fruit and pecan pies can be home baked, but other pies, such as pumpkin, need to be baked in a state-approved oven. If you are interested in providing a pie, call 620-241-8501.